2.5 lakh marooned in Sylhet flood

Nearly 2.5 lakh people were marooned and two hundred schools were shut down due to the onrush of water from the upstream and heavy rainfall triggered by monsoon over the last one week in Sylhet and Moulvibazar.

In Sylhet, vast areas in six upazilas -- Jakiganj, Bianibazar, Golapganj, Fenchuganj, Osmaninagar and Balaganj -- were inundated that left about 2.5 lakh people marooned, reports UNB.

The flood situation in these areas continued to deteriorate today, worsening the woes of the affected people.

Meanwhile, 174 educational institutions in Sylhet and more than one hundred in Moulvibazar were shut down due to the worsening flood situation, officials of district administrations told our local correspondent.

Rahat Anwar, deputy commissioner of Sylhet, said the district administration declared 161 primary schools and 13 high schools in different upazilas closed until the flood situation redeems.

In Moulvibazar, more than hundred flood-hit educational institutions in three upazilas could not resume academic activities after the end of vacation of Eid-ul-Fitr today.

All schools were supposed to take half yearly exams and test exams in the first week of July. But most of the schools postponed the exams.

“Our school compound and surrounding roads have already submerged in floodwater and we had to keep the school shut and postpone our scheduled exams,” said Shyamal Chandra Singha, head teacher of Paschim Borni High School.

In Sylhet, nine schools have been declared as shelter centres and 13 in Moulvibazar where more the two hundred flood-affected families took shelter so far, Nazmanara Khanom, divisional commissioner of Sylhet, told The Daily Star.

Meanwhile, at least three thousand hectares of Aush paddy field have submerged in the floodwater in Sylhet, which might destroy the paddy cultivation of the season, according to Sylhet Agriculture Extension office sources.

Water Development Board officials said water is flowing above the danger level in 20-30 points of Kusiara River of the division, worsening the flood situation.